BEIJING (Reuters) – No military ship or aircraft can scare China away from its resolve to protect its territory, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday after two U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers were reported to have flown near disputed islands in the South China Sea.

No military ship or aircraft can scare China away from its resolve to protect its territory, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday after two U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers were reported to have flown near disputed islands in the South China Sea. CNN reported that the two aircraft flew within the vicinity of the Spratly Islands, where China has reclaimed land and built runways and other facilities on disputed reefs and small islands. The United States was willing to work with China on a “results-oriented” relationship, but its actions in the South China Sea were coercive and the Pentagon would “compete vigorously” if needed, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Saturday.

MIAMI (AP) â€” The former sheriff’s deputy who’s been called a coward for his actions during a mass shooting at a Florida high school said he’s haunted by what happened but he had no time to be scared because everything unfolded so quickly.